Goodbye Beijing, Hello Fuzhou!

Well, our time in Beijing is over and I have to say we have had a great time touring this wonderful city.  There are some things we have learned about the Chinese people in Beijing:

1.  They are always in a hurry!  At least it seems that way.  If you are not moving quickly, you better get out of the way or you will be run over....literally!
2.  The traffic is crazy with cars darting in and out and scooters, bicycles and pedestrians everywhere and it doesn't seem like anyone is ever paying attention, yet we didn't see one accident, so I guess it works.  I also learned that lanes, blinkers, stop lights are just suggestions!
3.  They are also very curious about western culture and we got some curious stares everywhere we went.  But everyone we met was very friendly and polite.

One very important lesson that Scott and I have both learned during our time spent in China so far is that being the minority is very different.  For me this has been very eye-opening and valuable since we are going to be taking Sydney from where she is part of the majority and thrusting her into an environment where she will be a minority.  I have read books and taken numerous classes on race and culture, but nothing could have prepared me to deal with how she might feel as a minority until I experienced it firsthand in China.  It's not that people were rude or made me feel unwelcome, it's just that odd sense of feeling like you don't belong.  That obviousness when you walk into a room and you are the only white people and that thought remains in the back of your mind the whole time.  It always feels like I am very conspicuous and am sticking out like a sore thumb.  I feel like people are making assumptions about me based on the fact that I am white.  This has not always been a pleasant feeling.  So I can just imagine what Sydney will feel when we bring her into our family and then to the U.S.  I just hope and pray that we can foster a sense of belonging within our family and community and that she can keep connected with her culture and her language while also building a new and strong relationship with her family.  All we can do is pray and be there to love her and I am confident that God will work out all the details!  If I worry about it too much I will go crazy, so I just have to "let go and let God".

On a lighter note, we flew from Beijing to Fuzhou, the capitol of Sydney's province today!  Making us closer and closer to our little girl!  Our hotel is called the Lakeside Hotel.  It is a 5-star hotel and very beautiful.  After we arrived, our guide left us with a map of the area and then we were on our own.  We were very hungry, so we decided to use our map and walk to a local shop to eat.  We found the path that goes around the lake in front of our hotel.  The lake and the walkway are very beautiful with the water on one side and greenery and flowers on the other side.  We found a restaurant that we think is similar to a Chick-Fil-A.  It was interesting ordering our food because none of the staff spoke any English.  We just had to point at the pictures to order!  What we ended up getting was very good, so I was happy.  After lunch, we went to a market to get some sodas for our room, then we enjoyed the scenery as we walked back to the hotel.  We watched movies the rest of the afternoon and ate cup-o-noodles for dinner  -  we were tired.  We also were able to take some time to get settled into our room; to put our clothes away and not live out of suitcases for a few days will be nice.  We also got all of Sydney's toys and clothes arranged so that it will be nice for tomorrow, when we get to bring her here!

Goodbye for now.  The next post will have pictures of us with Sydney!

(A note from Angela's Mom, Glenda.  She forgot to mention that Fuzhou is the total opposite of Beijing in weather and scenery.  It is in the 70s in Fuzhou and very humid, unlike the cold weather in Beijing.  She also said there are lots of mountains.  This is southern China.)  

Our Beijing guide, Flora

Fuzhou

Fuzhou

Fuzhou

Shipping factory in Fuzhou

Fuzhou

Walkway by lake in front of Lakeside Hotel

Main entrance to walkway

Lake in front of Fuzhou hotel

Paddle boat on lake

Our hotel with lake in front

More of the lake

Boat on the lake

Ferris wheel by the hotel

Flowers by the walkway